1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for packaging particulate material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Articles can be contained and transported in flexible containers such as bags. It can be desirable to limit the movement of individual articles in the flexible container with respect to one another to reduce the likelihood that articles will be damaged and to increase the likelihood that the container will maintain a relatively rigid shape. Several different methods have been proposed to limit the movement of individual articles in the flexible container with respect to one another. For example, it is known to fill a flexible container and shrink-wrap the filled container. It is known to draw air from the flexible container to define a vacuum, wherein the vacuum seal can substantially limit the movement of articles in the container with respect to one another. It also is known to compress a filled, flexible container with pressurized air to urge air from the flexible container and substantially limit movement of articles in the container with respect to one another.